DR. BRAADT’S WELLNESS COLUMN
SOLVING THE CALORIE CONFUSION Burn Energy vs. Store Fat!
Carbohydrates They stimulate a rise in blood sugar spiking the hormone insulin. Refined carbohydrates, like hidden sugar in processed foods, candy, pastry, and sweets in general, are like a match to gasoline. A boom is created and makes energy, BUT it’s fast and you burn out quickly, making you hungry, AND any excess is converted directly into fat around your belly and organs by the hormone insulin. Think “belly fat.” That’s not good. The minimum daily requirement for carbohydrates in human nutrition is essentially ZERO! This does not include “heart-healthy grains.” Consuming a lot of non-starchy vegetables (carbs) is the best way to get an abundance of nutrients as they contain “net carbs” reduced by the fiber they contain. Proteins They are necessary for a million reasons, but not as many as you might think. Unless you are training for the Olympics or are a teenage football player, 3–4 ounces per meal is really all that is necessary for tissue repair and general good health. Too much protein will elevate insulin levels, which increases fat storage where you don’t want it. Yes, belly fat again! A “fist-size” portion is adequate. Fats Since the early 1960s, everyone has known that fat will make you fat and kill you slowly or give you a heart attack, right? FALSE! Ancel Keys, a nutrition researcher with drug company funding, linked fat to heart disease with skewed data and junk science (his Seven Countries Study) and the rest is history: a government food pyramid emphasizing bread, cereal, and grains. Look around. Notice most people are heavy, including teens and young children. Childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes are rising to the point where 1 in 3 Americans will be diabetic by
A 300-calorie doughnut is not the same as a 300-calorie chicken thigh. But, of course, you already knew that. Doughnuts spike the fat- storing hormone insulin like crazy, making you hungry in no time and raising your blood sugar. Chicken provides muscle-building and hunger-fighting protein. Most nutritional discussion rarely goes deeper than “calories in and calories out/burned.” Calories are like the Kardashians of nutrition: confusing, overrated, and completely inescapable! Every time you see them, you’re probably being fed misinformation. So, here’s a bit of discussion based on known facts that might help to clear up some of this calorie confusion. Here’s what I know and how I handle calories for myself and my family. Calories The word is from a Latin root meaning a unit of heat . Calories are “burnt” in the production of energy in the body. This is called metabolism. Calories from food consumed are utilized for energy OR stored as fat. This metabolic process, burn or store, is regulated by hormones and not the amount of calories consumed. I personally never count calories. I simply choose foods that “burn” for energy and reject foods that “store” as fat . I’m also conscious of the nutrient density of the foods I choose to eat.
2050. Altered insulin metabolism is linked to heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease and is now more frequently referred to in the literature as Type 3 diabetes . Fat is the only macronutrient that is insulin neutral, meaning it does not spike insulin leading to fat storage, specifically around your belly. Healthy fats like avocados; raw unsalted nuts; olive and avocado oil; hormone-free whole milk dairy; real, hormone-free butter; organic eggs; grass-fed hamburger and steak; fatty fish, like tuna and salmon; olives; and hormone-free aged cheeses are safe and very satisfying. Including them in your meals will help minimize hunger and cravings and make you feel satisfied for longer periods of time, especially between meals. My wife and I changed the way we ate in 2017. We always ate healthy and exercised, but as we got older, we started putting on weight in the stomach. We follow a HEALTHY KETO & INTERMITTENT FASTING eating program started by Dr. Eric Berg (DrBerg.com). I’ve done training with Dr. Berg in the past. He’s a health educator and chiropractor who has thousands of YouTube videos on HEALTHY KETO & IF. His eating program offers a simple and effective way to regulate your body’s INSULIN RESPONSE to the three macronutrients. The result is you get healthier and, in the process, lose weight, have more energy, and feel great! I recommend you purchase his booklet "Healthy Keto & Intermittent Fasting: A Simple Overview" on Amazon or you can pick up at our office. Very easy read. And watch his YouTube videos starting with "How to Start Keto Correctly." We’re here to get you out of pain and help educate you to maximize your health and energy so you can chase your dreams! –Dr. Paul Braadt
There are three major MACRONUTRIENTS that make up the foods we eat:
Proteins — Carbohydrates — Fats Each influences your hormones in different ways. Remember: Burn calories for energy vs. store calories as fat!
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